For the Love of Dana
by ShadowDanseur
Summary: There is only one other woman that scares him the way Scully does: Her mother. Maggie calls a meeting with Mulder.


**Author's Note: This is just a short little piece of fluff. I don't write fluff a whole lot, but sometimes it's just too fun to write. ;) **

**Spoilers: None. **

**Disclaimer: Not mine. But that would rock. Christmas is coming up ... wink wink.**

* * *

**_For the Love of Dana_**

Mulder flipped through the television channels with complete disinterest. He snapped a sunflower seed open with his teeth and then spit the shell out into the cup. There was absolutely nothing good on television on a Saturday afternoon. He was bored out of his mind and wondering what Scully was up to. He thought about calling her, but then decided against it. She probably didn't want to talk to him anyway. She needed the time to herself to unwind and recharge, he was sure. It wasn't easy being his partner.

He stood and stretched luxuriously. It was only two; what the hell was he gonna do for the rest of the day? This was why he hated weekends. At least he could usually find some way to entertain himself, but not this weekend. He was restless and maybe suffering from a slight case of cabin fever. He had to find something to do or he would go crazy.

He decided to go for a run. He'd just crossed into his bedroom to change into running sweats and tennis shoes when his phone rang. His phone never rang on a weekend.

"Mulder," He answered, curious

"Hello, Fox."

The voice on the other end of the line surprised him to such a degree that he didn't say anything for several seconds. If he could have guessed who would be calling him, her name never would have crossed his mind in a million years. He was instantly hesitant and panicky.

"Is Scully alright? What's wrong?" He demanded

"Calm down, Fox," Maggie answered calmly, "Dana is fine. She's at home."

He breathed a sigh of relief and restrained himself from asking the next question that came to mind. Why the hell was Maggie Scully calling him?

"Good. What can I do for you, Mrs. Scully?" He asked politely

"Please, call me Maggie. And you can meet me for lunch."

"What?" He blurted out

"I'm in the neighborhood. Where should we meet?"

He wracked his brain for a few seconds before answering.

"There's a little all American burger joint about three blocks from my apartment."

"Sounds good. Meet you there in, say, ten minutes?"

"I'll be there."

He hung up the phone and stood there, dumbfounded. What on earth could Maggie Scully want to talk to him about? Had he done something wrong? Had he given Scully any reason to call her mom and gush about how much she wished him bodily harm? There weren't very many people in the world who intimidated him more than Dana Scully, but Maggie was certainly one of them.

Mulder physically shook his head, as if that would distill his thoughts. Already his afternoon run was forgotten, and he threw on a pair of sneakers and a white tee shirt. He grabbed his wallet and house keys; it would be a waste of gas to drive, and maybe the physical exertion of walking would help calm his nerves.

He left his apartment in a daze. The sound of his own footsteps seemed to hypnotize him as he went, making the time flow by in what seemed to be a seamless stream of consciousness. He tried to keep his thoughts trained on everything except the impending meeting of the minds, terrified of what that meeting was going to entail.

He came upon the restaurant suddenly. He would have liked to take a minute to gather his courage and give himself a mental pep talk, but Maggie was already there and seated at an outside table. She was sipping on a glass of what he guessed to be sweet tea.

To say that Fox Mulder was petrified was a horrid understatement.

"Afternoon, Maggie," He addressed her

"Fox, so great to see you again. Please, take a seat."

She motioned to the seat across from her, which he took. There was a glass of water on the table and a menu; Maggie was studying her menu, so he figured he would take a minute to do so as well. His stomach seemed to be in knots then, so he settled on a small plate of fries and a root beer.

"So, Dana tells me that work has been slow lately," She started conversationally once they had ordered

"Yeah, it's been kinda nice," He admitted, which was only a half lie, "I've caught up on a lot of laundry."

Maggie laughed, and Mulder was struck by how familiar the sound was. It was a little more throaty than her daughter's, but the sounds were very close. He wasn't sure he had ever really taken the time to appreciate just how alike Scully and her mother were. Then again, he supposed there were a lot of things he had never really taken the time to appreciate.

"Listen, Fox, Dana doesn't know we're having this conversation," Maggie said then, apparently just diving in, "So whether or not you tell her about it is up to you."

"I have to be honest, Mrs. Scully; I have no idea what this talk is about."

She laughed again. Mulder wished that Scully would be that free with her laugh because he loved the sound. He needed to give her more reasons to laugh.

"I didn't expect you too, Fox. I wanted to talk to you about Dana."

"I thought you said she was okay?"

"Oh, she's fine, and I want to make sure it stays that way."

Mulder's heart flopped. He was in for another Scully family scolding. Apparently Bill wasn't the only one who disliked him.

"Now, far be it from me to meddle in affairs of the heart, especially when it comes to Dana, but I am still a mother. I know that you will both come to things in your own time, but I thought maybe I would help you along. That being said, I'm here to give you a few cheats."

Mulder just stared at Maggie. A few cheats? What the hell was she talking about? He wanted to shake his head and ask her to repeat herself, because he was certain he had missed something.

"A few cheats?" He repeated

"Cheats," She responded in the affirmative, "I'll let you do what you want with them. You never know when they will come in handy. And I know how secretive and hard headed my daughter can be, Fox. Anyway, pay attention. I'm about to dispense some very important information."

Someone could have asked Mulder twenty minutes ago what he thought this conversation was going to entail, and never in a million years would he have answered correctly. Maggie Scully was sitting across from him trying to give him tips for courting her daughter? Maybe he had been drugged …

"Fox, are you listening?" Maggie interrupted

"No, I wasn't. I'm sorry, I'm a little … well, bewildered really."

Maggie chuckled and snatched a fry from his plate. The action was so like Scully that it made him laugh.

"My daughter and I may not always agree or have the same opinion on things, Fox, but I always want what's best for her. If I'd had my way, you two would have been together ages ago. Dana's gotten sick of me always harping on her, I know, so I've decided to take a more … passive approach."

"So you're going to pester me?"

"For lack of a better word, yes," Maggie answered, "Now, listen up. Her favorite flowers are lilacs and Alstroemeria."

"Alstro what?" He blundered

"Alstroemeria. It's also called the Peruvian Lily. Just ask a florist, they'll know what you're talking about. Moving on. She still likes to watch eighties cartoons, but hates the new computer generated ones. She loves to smell good, so she buys a lot of perfume …"

They must have stayed like that for at least two hours. He listened intently as Maggie told him all the things he'd never thought to wonder about when it came to Scully. She loved to put French vanilla ice cream in with her oatmeal; she couldn't stand it if pictures on the wall were crooked; she loved to read Jane Austen; she was fascinated with Anne Boleyn and the whole Romanov family. He learned more things about her in that small time span than he would have thought possible.

When Maggie had finally either ran out of things to tell him, or simply grown weary of talking, she asked for the check and then glowered at him when he paid. She was gathering up her purse and preparing to leave when Mulder finally got up the courage to ask the question that had been burning within him the whole time.

"Why are you helping me, Mrs. Scully?"

Her movements stilled then, and she fixed him with a serious but warm gaze. She seemed to him to be so wise in that moment, like she had so much more to tell him. He had spent so much time being afraid of Maggie and what she thought of him that he had forgotten to actually stop and find out where she stood.

"Neither one of you may be ready or willing to admit it, Fox, but I know soul mates when I see them. When two people are as drawn together as you and my daughter are, there's no hiding or denying it. You may not see me a lot, but I see you. I see and hear about all the things you do for the love of my daughter; I also know when you might need a little nudge in the right direction."

"But Bill …"

"Bill and Dana are so much alike that it's ridiculous," Maggie interrupted, "And they're both pigheaded. They get that from their father."

She winked at him then, and he laughed at the charismatic woman. He walked her around the block to her car, hands stuffed into his front pockets like a shy school boy.

"Don't worry about Bill," She told him just before she got in her car, "Dana knows how to take care of him. And if she doesn't, I do. Enjoy the rest of your day, Fox."

"Drive safe, Mrs. Scully."

"It's Maggie," She corrected him, and drove off

He laughed to himself and headed back toward his apartment, mulling over all the new ammunition Maggie had given him. He tossed ideas around for the entire time it took him to get back to his apartment; when he finally got there, he had settled on a plan of action.

The other line rang four times before she picked up.

"Scully."

"Hey, Scully, it's me. What are you doing?"

"Just got done doing the dishes," She answered

"Oh good. What do you say I bring over a movie and we order a pizza? I'll even bring paper plates."

On the other end of the phone, she chuckled.

"What movie?"

"Well, I know you like Anne Boleyn, so I was thinking we could watch The Other Boleyn Girl."

"Mulder, how did you know that I like Anne Boleyn?"

"I'm just that good, Scully. What do you say?"

"It's a date. But I get to pick the pizza toppings."

"As long as it's not plain cheese. Try any of that tail hook crap on me, Scully …"

"…And you'll kick my ass, I know."


End file.
